Kutryk begins first spacewalk to install ISS solar array

Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk began his first spacewalk outside the International Space Station on October 29, joining NASA astronaut Anil Menon to install the seventh of eight planned solar arrays. The outing made Kutryk the fifth Canadian to perform a spacewalk and the first since David Saint-Jacques in 2019. The astronauts exited the station’s Quest airlock for work on its port-side truss, the structure that supports major systems including solar wings, radiators, power and data equipment. NASA’s plan called for Menon to use the Canadarm2 robotic arm to transport the folded array while Kutryk moved along the truss to the installation site. NASA flight engineers Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney operated the arm from inside the station. NASA reported during the spacewalk that the pair were 20 to 30 minutes ahead of schedule. The reports describe work underway but do not establish whether the array was ultimately installed or activated. The planned outing was expected to last nearly seven hours. A second spacewalk was planned for November 5, when Kutryk and Menon are to install the eighth and final array. NASA’s plan calls for that array to be placed beyond Canadarm2’s...